RIVERSIDE, Calif. - UC Riverside dropped their fourth straight to open the 2026 campaign this afternoon losing to Utah Tech 8-1. A rough fourth inning was the difference.

Halen Guerrero made his Highlander debut this afternoon and started the game strong. To open the game he sat down the Trailblazers in order including his first strikeout. In his second inning of work the lone base runner to reach was via a two out walk. 

After getting out of a jam in the third, it was the fourth inning that did the Highlanders in. The first two Trailblazers singled and Ty Johnsen doubled to right center scoring Miller Durham. Cooper Smith scored on a sac-fly by Petey Soto Jr., and Utah Tech was quickly up 2-0. After Guerrero walked Kyle McDaniel to load the bases the Highlanders went to the pen and Marco DiGirolamo came in to minimize the damage. He gave up three straight singles and it was 6-0.

The Highlanders could not put anything together. It seemed that every time they got a runner on board, they could not get them in. Robert Pitts doubled in the fourth and made it to third on a fly ball to right, but was stranded. David Gibbs knocked a one out single in the fifth but he too was stranded. 

In the seventh, Utah Tech pushed its seventh run across on a sac-bunt by Johnsen making it 7-0 and they added another in the eighth to make it 8-0.

UCR broke through in bottom of the eighth. Mile Scott came up as a pinch hitter and lined a single to right. A wild pitch and a fly ball later and Scott was standing at third. Then Esteban Sepulveda pinch hit for David Whittle and drove in Scott making it 8-1. 

Up next for the Highlanders (pending weather) will be UNLV on Tuesday. First pitch is 2:05pm. Read Full Article